EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide

29 June 2009

EPA has proposed revisions to the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality standard, the first adjustment since 1971. The proposed changes reflect the latest science on the health effects of exposure to NO2, which is formed by emissions from cars, trucks, buses, power plants, and industrial facilities and can lead to respiratory disease.

These proposed standards—which add a one-hour NO2 standard—and additional monitoring requirements will better protect public health by reducing people’s exposure to high, short-term concentrations of NO2, which generally occur near roadways, according to EPA. The proposal would also ensure that area-wide NO2 concentrations remain below levels that can cause public health problems.

Current scientific evidence links short-term NO2 exposures, ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours, with increased respiratory effects, especially in people with asthma. These effects can lead to increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations such as children, the elderly, and asthmatics.

NO2 concentrations in vehicles and near major roads are appreciably higher than
those measured at monitors in the current network. In-vehicle concentrations can be
2-3 times higher than those measured at nearby community-wide monitors. Near-road
(within about 50 meters) concentrations of NO2 have been measured to be
approximately 30 to 100% higher than concentrations away from major roads.

Individuals who spend time on or near major roads can experience short-term NO2
exposures considerably higher than measured by the current network, which are of
particular concern for at-risk populations, including people with asthma, children, and
the elderly.

Establish, for the first time, a one-hour NO2 standard at a level between 80 - 100 parts per billion (ppb). The Agency is taking comment on alternative levels for the 1-hour standard down to 65 ppb and up to 150 ppb.

Retain the current annual average NO2 standard of 53 ppb.

Add NO2 monitoring within 50 meters of major roads in cities with at least 350,000 residents; and

Continue monitoring area-wide NO2 concentrations in cities with at least 1 million residents.

In addition to proposing an averaging time and a range of levels for the standard, EPA
is also proposing a “form” for the new standard. The form is the air quality statistic that is
compared to the level of the standard to determine if an area meets the standard.

For the new 1-hour NO2 standard, EPA is proposing that the form be a 3-year
average of the 4th highest daily maximum 1-hour average concentration in a year,
or a 3-year average of the 99th percentile of the annual distribution of daily
maximum 1-hour average concentrations. (The 99th percentile for a year
corresponds approximately to the 4th highest daily maximum.)

As an alternative to the proposed approach, EPA is requesting comment on
supplementing the current annual standard with a community-wide 1-hour NO2
standard in the range of 50 – 75 ppb. Monitoring near major roads would not be
required under this alternative.

The proposed changes would not affect the secondary NO2 standard; EPA is considering the need for changes to the secondary standard under a separate review.

EPA first set standards for NO2 in 1971, establishing both a primary standard to protect health and a secondary standard to protect the public welfare at 53 ppb, averaged annually. EPA has reviewed the standards twice since that time, but has chosen not to revise the standards at the conclusion of each review.

Under a judicial consent decree, EPA must complete this review of the primary NO2
standard by 22 January 2010. The current review focuses only on the primary NO2
standard. EPA will address the secondary standard for NO2 as part of a separate
proposal in 2010.

EPA will accept public comments for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold two public hearings in August 2009: one in Los Angeles and one in the Washington, D.C. area. EPA will provide details on the public hearings in a separate notice issued later this summer.

Annual average NO2 concentrations have decreased by more than 40% since 1980. All areas in the United States are well below the current (1971) NO2 standards with annual averages ranging from approximately 10 - 20 ppb.

Comments

Ah, another power grab by the tyrannical statist fascistic government. The science is conclusive, NOx levels have been fluctuating naturally for the last 600 million years, and have nothing to do with the NOx we pump into the air.
It's not about human health, people, its about the money (follow the money), and reducing you to crippling poverty, while making you give up yet more of your god given rights.
And furthermore... human life is determined by AGE people... AGE is the dominant driver of people dying, not NOx.

Nat Pearre, I hope that's not your actual name. Otherwise, expect a full blown IRS audit, and other harassment from the Obama administration. You've spoken truth to power. The Obama/Reid/Pelosi government will NOT stand for non-believers when comes to their Globalwarmism religion.

You guys are nut jobs. Junior was THE most fascist dictator this country ever had to endure. Trying to clean up the air so people with asthma don't have to be rushed to the hospital....yeah..that is really evil.

The Cluless One has just passed the biggest tax raising scheme in history. We get jsut what the country needs more derivatives trading, to ruin our financial institutions. And also the one that sabotages and retards the coming of the Electric vehicle. Adding $100 - $200 dollars a month to everyone's monthly electric bill is just fat-headed, stupid, and counter productive.

So the Clueless One is taxing to prevent Zero Pollution vehicles, and the clean air that the electric car would bring.

It's reasonable to believe that the money poured into this bit of pork could better serve public health by paying for medical personnel education, or treatment facilities, or medical equipment or health care benefits or housing, nutrition, drug treatment, etc. etc. etc.

There is only one Clueless One, let us not remove his unique non-qualifications. He has never run any non-profit or commercial enterprise, not even a lemonaide stand; and it shows.

He was influential in creating the criminal enterprise that is ACORN however, so we must credit him for that... He needed someone to actually vote the graveyard headstone names that his Chicago machine style "community organizing" registered.

ACORN serves the purpose well. Just as it provided 1000s of votes for the Senator elect in Minn. In many precincts 125-150% tallies, for the former clown, of all the registered voters there.

Casting more votes than there are voters, is a hallowed tradition in Chicago machine politics, from which the Clueless One springs, and is just called "getting out the graveyard vote" in Chicago.

@Stan
Are you kidding???? George owns the "Clueless" title, now and forever: From his blind following of the Project for the New American Century's advice to go into Iraq[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century] to his endorsment of ID in the schools[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/08/02/bush_endorses_intelligent_design/] he earned it.
From his belief that "Brownie, you are doing a heckuva job" to his handling of the economy [http://www.progressive.org/mag/wx071508.html] he caused Americans pain. He ruined your country's rep with acts of torture and ruined McCain's chances with a handshake. Of course you're right, Bush does have more experience in business than Obama but his experience was one of 'red ink.'

I have to stop now, the list of ways he f____ed up is just too long to go into fully here.